David Berry, Bert LaBonté and Rodger Corser will lead the Australian stage production of The Shawshank Redemption from January 2027.
by Paul Cashmere
David Berry, Bert LaBonté and Rodger Corser have been announced as the lead cast for the Australian stage production of The Shawshank Redemption, which will tour Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide from January 2027 following its UK season.
Berry, known internationally for Outlander and in Australia for A Place To Call Home, will play Andy Dufresne, the former banker imprisoned for the murders of his wife and her lover despite maintaining his innocence.
LaBonté will play Ellis “Red” Redding, the long-term prisoner who supplies contraband inside Shawshank and develops a close friendship with Andy. Corser will take the role of the Warden, the prison authority who exploits Andy’s financial expertise for personal gain.
The Australian season begins at Theatre Royal Sydney on January 2, 2027, before moving to the Playhouse at Arts Centre Melbourne from February 3, the Regal Theatre in Perth from March 12 and Her Majesty’s Theatre in Adelaide from April 1. Further venues are expected to be announced.
Tickets go on sale Thursday, with presales beginning today through ShawshankLive.com.au.
The production is adapted by Owen O’Neill and Dave Johns from Stephen King’s novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption. David Esbjornson directs the stage version, which is being produced by Impresario Productions by arrangement with Bill Kenwright Limited and in association with Knight Hall Agency Ltd and Paradigm Talent Agency.
For Berry, the production represents a return to the stage after establishing a substantial screen career.
“I’m thrilled to be returning to the stage in such a timeless and deeply human story, alongside two extraordinary actors like Bert and Rodger,” Berry said.
LaBonté said the role of Red was a significant factor in his decision to join the production.
“The opportunity to tell this iconic story and to take on a role as rich and loved as Red was impossible to say no to,” he said.
Corser is also returning to theatre after two decades working predominantly in television and film.
“After 20 years in film and television, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to return to the stage for a story as powerful as The Shawshank Redemption,” Corser said. “Its themes of hope, resilience and friendship resonate just as strongly today as they did when the film was released more than 30 years ago.”
The stage production follows Andy’s imprisonment at Shawshank after his conviction for the murders of his wife and her lover. Inside the prison, his friendship with Red develops against a system defined by violence, corruption and institutional control. Andy’s financial knowledge eventually attracts the attention of the Warden, creating the circumstances for a plan that ultimately challenges the prison itself.
The story originated with Stephen King’s novella, first published in 1982 as part of the collection Different Seasons. Frank Darabont adapted it for the 1994 film, starring Tim Robbins as Andy and Morgan Freeman as Red.
The film received seven Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor for Freeman and Best Adapted Screenplay for Darabont. Although it did not win an Oscar, the film subsequently developed a substantial audience and became one of the most enduring titles in American cinema.
The stage adaptation brings the story into a live theatrical setting, with O’Neill and Johns retaining the central relationship between Andy and Red while translating the prison environment and its characters for the stage.
Berry brings extensive television and theatre experience to the central role. His credits include six seasons of Outlander as Lord John Grey and the Australian drama A Place To Call Home, where he played James Bligh. His other screen work includes Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, Home And Away and Riptide.
LaBonté has extensive Australian theatre credits, including The Book Of Mormon, Moulin Rouge! The Musical and An Officer And A Gentleman, for which he won a Helpmann Award. His television work includes Colin From Accounts, The Newsreader, Fisk, Wentworth and Five Bedrooms.
Corser has built a long-running television career through roles in Doctor Doctor, Rush, Underbelly, Water Rats and Home And Away. His more recent credits include Austin, Five Bedrooms and Thai Cave Rescue. He has also presented The Traitors and The Floor and narrated RPA.
The Australian production will begin in Sydney before continuing nationally through the first four months of 2027.
Tour Dates
2 January 2027, Sydney, Theatre Royal Sydney
3 February 2027, Melbourne, Playhouse, Arts Centre Melbourne
12 March 2027, Perth, Regal Theatre
1 April 2027, Adelaide, Her Majesty’s Theatre
Ticket Details
Tickets start from $89.90, plus transaction fees. Bookings are through ShawshankLive.com.au. Sydney bookings are also available on 1300 163 808, Melbourne on 1300 182 183, Perth on 08 9381 9943 and Adelaide on 131 246.
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